- "Food preservation includes processes that make food more resistant to microorganism growth and slow the oxidation of fats." - "This slows down the decomposition and rancidification process."
Understanding the proper storage of food including rotation, labeling, date marking, and safe storage practices for frozen, refrigerated and dry foods.
Foodborne Illness: Understanding the types, symptoms, and causes of foodborne illnesses is essential to prevent contamination and ensure food safety.
Pathogens: Knowledge of various foodborne pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, and their causes and symptoms is crucial to prevent contamination and possible infection.
Food Storage Guidelines: Understanding how to store and handle different types of food products: Dry, frozen, canned, and fresh - helps prevent spoilage and ensure food safety.
Shelf Life: Knowing the shelf life of different foods and storing them accordingly helps prevent spoilage and minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses.
Food Preservation Methods: Knowledge of food preservation techniques like canning, freezing, and dehydrating is important when storing food long-term.
Food Safety Regulations: Understanding food safety regulations by state or federal governments is necessary to remain compliant and ensure that all food products conform to specific standards of quality and safety.
Food Contamination: Awareness of food contamination, including physical, chemical, and biological contamination, is essential to prevent cross-contamination and ensure food safety.
Personal Hygiene: Educating yourself on best practices for personal hygiene, including hand washing, wearing gloves, and using hairnets, helps decrease the risk of contamination and enhance food safety.
Kitchen Sanitation: Understanding how to clean and sanitize your kitchen, including food prep surfaces, utensils, and cooking equipment, can limit the growth of bacteria and minimize contamination.
Environmental Factors: Recognizing how environmental conditions, such as humidity and temperature, can affect food storage and preservation, is crucial to prevent spoilage and ensure food safety.
Allergen Management: Understanding food allergies and developing processes to separate and handle allergenic foods can prevent cross-contamination and ensure proper labeling.
Traceability: Knowledge of food traceability and food recall protocols may help track and isolate the source of contamination in case of a foodborne illness outbreak.
Labeling and Product Dating: Understanding how food products are labeled, their significance, and product dating aids in identifying product freshness and ensuring food safety.
Emergency Planning: Having a food emergency plan can help prepare for emergencies such as power outages, natural disasters, and other unexpected disruptions.
Food Storage Supplies: Understanding the importance of various food storage supplies like food-grade containers, ziplock bags, oxygen absorbers, and vacuum sealers can aid in proper food storage and preservation.
Dry storage: This refers to storing non-perishable items such as grains, pasta, and canned goods in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
Refrigerated storage: This refers to storing perishable items such as meat, dairy, and eggs in a refrigerator at a temperature below 40°F.
Freezer storage: This refers to storing perishable items such as meat, poultry, and vegetables in a freezer at a temperature below 0°F.
Vacuum packing: This refers to removing air from food packaging to extend its shelf life.
Canning: This refers to preserving food in airtight containers by heating and sealing them.
Pickling: This refers to preserving food in a solution of salt, vinegar, and spices.
Fermenting: This refers to preserving food by allowing it to undergo a fermentation process.
Dehydrating: This refers to removing moisture from food to preserve it, commonly used with fruits and meats.
Smoking: This refers to preserving food by subjecting it to smoke from wood or other sources.
Root cellar storage: This refers to storing root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots in a cool, dark, and humid environment.
Controlled atmosphere storage: This refers to storing produce in a gas-controlled environment to reduce spoilage and extend shelf life.
Preservatives and additives: This refers to adding chemicals to food to extend its shelf life and prevent spoilage.
- "By preserving food, food waste can be reduced, which is an important way to decrease production costs and increase the efficiency of food systems." - "Improve food security and nutrition and contribute towards environmental sustainability."
- "Food preservation may also include processes that inhibit visual deterioration, such as the enzymatic browning reaction in apples after they are cut during food preparation."
- "Preserving fruit by turning it into jam, for example, involves boiling, sugaring, and sealing within an airtight jar."
- "Some traditional methods of preserving food have been shown to have a lower energy input and carbon footprint compared to modern methods."
- "Some methods of food preservation are known to create carcinogens." - "In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization classified processed meat—i.e., meat that has undergone salting, curing, fermenting, and smoking—as 'carcinogenic to humans'."
- "By preserving food, food waste can be reduced, which is an important way to... contribute towards environmental sustainability."
- "Improve food security and nutrition."
- "Preserving fruit by turning it into jam... involves boiling, sugaring, and sealing within an airtight jar."
- "By preserving food, food waste can be reduced, which is an important way to decrease production costs."
- "Make food more resistant to microorganism growth and slow the oxidation of fats." - "Slow down the decomposition and rancidification process." - "Inhibit visual deterioration."
- "Boiling (to reduce the fruit's moisture content and to kill bacteria, etc.)"
- "Sugaring (to prevent their re-growth)"
- "Sealing within an airtight jar (to prevent recontamination)"
- "Increase the efficiency of food systems."
- "Improve food security and nutrition."
- "Preserving food includes processes that make food more resistant to microorganism growth."
- "Reduce the environmental impact of food production."
- "Some methods of food preservation are known to create carcinogens."
- "Processed meat—i.e., meat that has undergone salting, curing, fermenting, and smoking—is classified as 'carcinogenic to humans'."